Posts Marked Alexa Davalos

  • Clash of the Titans review by Tim Hayes on Theatrical Thursdays

    April 8th, 2010

    It’s Thursday, which means it’s…

    Tim Hayes on Theatrical Thursdays

    Mr. Hayes is not only the ALMT publicist and lead editor,
    but also contributes film journalism and reviews to     Critic’s Notebook and Cinemattraction.

    Tim Hayes on Theatrical Thursdays

    Clash of the Titans (2010) dir. Louis Leterrier

    Release Date: April 1, 2010
    Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
    Director: Louis Leterrier
    Screenwriter: Travis Beacham, Phil Hay, Matt Manfredi
    Starring: Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Danny Huston, Gemma Arterton, Mads Mikkelsen, Jason Flemyng, Alexa Davalos, Izabella Miko, Nicholas Hoult, Pete Postlethwaite
    Genre: Action, Fantasy
    MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for fantasy action violence, some frightening images and brief sensuality)
    Official Website: Clash-of-the-Titans.com


    Films with gods and monsters are cool. They just are. Even the original “Clash of the Titans”, despite being adrift in the backwash from “Star Wars” and turning Mount Olympus into a discotheque, is a decent romp through the mythology with a couple of superb Ray Harryhausen monsters. So here’s the inevitable re-do.


    The plot is still about getting Perseus (Sam Worthington), Andromeda (Alexa Davalos) and the monstrous Kraken into one place for the show-down, but the details have been adjusted. The focus stays on Perseus and his multi-national gang of assistants rather than the gods, which raises questions: Why is Perseus the only man in the known world to shave? Since Sam Worthington keeps his accent, when did the ancient Greeks reach Western Australia? Why does sexy nymph Gemma Arterton deliver her entire role in dialogue pasted on via ADR, and so is never seen with her mouth open? Only the gods know.

    The big addition is Hades, wheeled into position as the bad guy in order to give Ralph Fiennes some mighty smiting to do. Fiennes treats the role as a big lark and does just fine, but the other gods are disposable bits of stunt casting. Someone in a big beard opens his mouth and turns out to be Danny Huston as Poseidon, but he never says anything else. Those of us who obsess just a little know that the casting of Aphrodite is a key issue, and apparently it was Agyness Deyn but she must have been hiding behind a cloud. As for Liam Neeson, playing Zeus with bored resignation and unleashing the Kraken as if choosing from the wine list, the man is already a god in my house and can do no wrong.


    Aimed squarely at 12-year olds, the new “Clash” is loud and unromantic and total nonsense. And if you’re in a forgiving mood, decent campy fun. It misses every chance to engage with the true impact of gods and mythology on screen, and runs a mile at the uncomfortable fact that those myths involved an awful lot of rape, but then it was made by people who worship nothing but money. The gods are still big, it’s just the pictures that got small.


    April 8th,2010 Film Reviews by Tim Hayes, Theatrical Thursdays, Uncategorized, Video | Sections: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment